Island



' N-JITEI) STATES PATENT Current I FREDERIO, J. .KRANICH, on PROVIDENCE,'RHODE ISLAND.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Iietters Patent No. 537,295, dated April9, 1895.

Application filed J'nn e 23, 1894. Serial No. 515,506. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- ,Beit known that I, FREDERIQ' J. KRANICH,of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island,have invented certain new and useful Improvements" in Car- Fenders; andI hereby declare that thefollowing is a'full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specificaion.

This invention hasreference to improvements in devices carried by carsfor preventing objects or persons being thrown beneath the wheels. r

The object of the invention is to so construct a ear-fender that thespace before the front wheels of the car may be almost wholly closed tothe passage of an object toward the wheels. Another object of theinvention is to so construct a car-fender that when in use it willobstruct the movement of the car. a

Still another object of the invention is to so construct a car-fenderthat when operated it will tend to arrest the motion of the car and toelevate the front end thereof.

The invention consists in the peculiar guard-rail pivoted to the frontend of a car 3o"action by the operation of the guard-rail.

The invention also consists in the construction of the fender.

The invention still further consists in the peculiar construction of thefender and in the mechanism for supporting the same. The invention alsoconsists in such other novel features of construction and combination ofparts as may hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out in theclaims.

Figure 1 represents a side view of a portion of a car-body with theimproved fender at- Fig. 2 represents a bottom removed. Fig. 3represents a vertical sectional view of a portion of the car, thefender,and the operating mechanism to more clearly show the construction; Fig.4 represents a cross-sectional view of a portion of the carbody showinga front view of the fender and its elevating mechanism. Fig. 5represents a vertical section of the car-platform with the guard devicepivoted thereto and the spring for the same.

Similar numbers and letters of reference designate corresponding partsthroughout.

In the drawings 8 indicatesthe body of a car having the platform 9 andprovided with the usualwheels 10-10 adapted to travel on the rails'A-A.To the under side of the car are secured the brackets 11-11 havinghearings in which the transverse shaft 12 is journaled. One or both endsof this shaft are squared to allow of its engagement by the socket of acrank.

On this shaft are mounted the chain-pulleys 13-13 and midway betweenthese pulleys, on

the shaft, is secured the. cam-plate 14: having the tooth 15.

Secured in the grooves of the pulleys 13 are chains 16-16 the lower endsof which are fastened to the-side-p'lates 17-17. These plates are ofsubstantial construction having the forwardly curving and inclined edges18-18 and the rearWa rdly-curving surfaces 19-19. The lower edges orsurfaces of these plates are shaped to fit on to the upper surfaces ofthe rails A-A and are furnished with inner flanges 20-20 adapted to fitagainst the inner side of the rail, when the device is de pressed, andpreventing the lateral movement of the same. The two side frames aresuitably braced together and to the curving front surfaces 18-18 issecured a screen 21 of any usual construction which will prevent thepassage of a p'erson. To the outer surfaces or sides of these plates17-17 are rotatably secured the guides 22-22 and through these guidesextend the guide-bars 23-23 the upper ends of which are journaled on theshaft 12 so that these bars may swing-thereon. Surrounding theguide-bars are coiled-springs 24-24 which bear against the guides 22 andtend to force the same downward.

To the bottom of the car and of the platform are secured the bearings 25and 26 in which the bolt 27 is reciprocally mounted. The rear end ofthis bolt is flattened as at 28 to engage the tooth 15 of the cam-plate14, the front end of the bolt having the hook 29 with the inclined head,While between the bearing 25 and the collar 30 on the bolt is thecoiledspring 31 which tends to throw the bolt backward.

Below the forward end of the platform 9 are secured the brackets 3232and the springplates 3333. In these brackets are journaled the ends ofthe shaft 31 and to this shaft are secured the side-bars 3535 of thepilot-me1nber36 having the guard-rail 37 and closed by bars or by asuitable screen. The ends 3S3S of the side bars are beveled and bearagainst the spring-plates 33-33 which tend to hold these ends inposition when the beveled surfaces thereof will be parallel to thespring plates. On the shaft 34 is the latch 39 which, when the pilotmember is in the forward position, rests against the hook 29, and, whenthe lower portion of the pilot member is thrown backward, acts on thehook to draw the bolt forward and to disengage its rear end from thecam-tooth 15.

By the rotation of the shaft 12 the chains 16-16 are wound on to thepulleys 13-13 and the barrier, or fender, formed by the screen 21supported on the side-plates 17-17, is elevated to the position shown infull. As the shaft 12 rotates the cam-plate 14E forces the bolt 27forward against the action of the spring 31 until the end of the rodpasses beyond the cam-tooth 15. The spring 31 now tends to reciprocatethe bolt backward thus engaging the end of the bolt with the camtoothand locking the shaft against reverse rotation. The pilot member is nowbrought to the position shown in full in Fig. 1, by swinging its lowerend forward.

lVhen a person or obstacle is struck by the guard-rail 37 of the pilotmember the member swings backward underthe car. The latch 39 is thusthrown forward and draws the bolt 27 in that direction, disengaging theend 28 from the cam-tooth 15 and allowing the fender proper to fall,this being assisted by the action of the springs 21. The lower edges ofthe sides 17 will now rest on the rails, the flanges 2O preventinglateral motion. The friction of the side plates on the track will nowtend to prevent their forward movement with the car, which, passingalong the front wheels, will ride up the inclined surfaces 19 of theside plates for a short distance when the momentum of the car will beovercome, the front end of the same being somewhat elevated and allowingof the removal of a person from beneath the same. Should the side platesslip along the tracks, the person on the track will be prevented, by thescreen 21,from passing under the wheels. Owing to the tapering of thefront surfaces or edges 18 of the side plates and the shape of thescreen it is impossible for a person to pass beneath the lower edge ofthe same, as, when the side plates are resting on the rails, this edgeof the screen is on a line with the tops of the rails and is raised buta trifle above the roadway between the tracks.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a car-fender, the combination with a oar-body, atransverse shaft rotatably mounted in bearings beneath the car-body, alaterallyextending projection on the shaft, guidebars pivoted on theshaft, a fender comprising side-plates having depending flanges andinclined ways on which the car-wheels may run and a barrier connectingthe side-plates, guides pivoted to the side-plates and embracing theguide-bars, and chains-connecting the side-plates with the shaft, of apilot member pivotally supported at the forward end of the car, and abolt reciprocatingly mounted in bearings beneath the car and engaged bythe pilot member, its rear end being located to engage the lateralprojection on the shaft to prevent the rotation of the shaft and torelease said projection when drawn forward.

2. In a car-fender, the combination with a car-body, bearings securedbeneath the same, the shaft 12 journaled in the bearings, thechain-pulleys 13-13 mounted on the shaft, and the guide-bars 2323pivotally mounted on the shaft, of a fender furnished with guidesmovable on the guide-bars, chains secured to the fender and to the chainpulleys, and means for preventing the rotation of the shaft when thefender is elevated.

3. The combination with a car-body, bearings secured thereto, the shaft12 provided with the pulleys 13-13,and the cam 1 1 journaled in thebearings, the guide-bars 23 pivoted on the shaft, a fender having thesideplates 17-17 and the screen 20, the guides 22-22 pivoted to the sideplates and engaging the guide-bars, and the chains 16-l6 secured to thefender and to the pulleys 13-13, of a locking bolt reciprocally mountedin bearings and adapted to engage the cam 1 1, and a pilot memberpivoted to the forward end of the car and connected with thelocking-bolt whereby the backward swinging of the pilot member serves todisengage the bolt from the cam 14, as and for the purpose described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FREDERIC J. KRANICII. \Vitnesses:

HENRY J. MILLER, J OSEPH A. MILLER, Jr.

